I won't tell
by Lolligaggin
Summary: Your secrets are safe with me. NaruIno
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Do not claim to own Anime Naruto or the characters in the story. Thank you for thinking I do! Much appreciated.

A/n: This is my first attempt at a Naruto story, and my first attempt at an Ino/Naruto. To be frank, Ino and Naruto as a couple appears more compatible to me than Sasuke/Sakura. So uh, I guess that's it, forgot to mention that there is minor swearing and SasuSaku but I guess we all saw that coming

_I won't tell_

Ino only focused on the ripples that the lake made with each flick of rocks that she found close by. Biting the bottom of her lip she tried her best to consol herself, failing miserably. 'Sasuke wasn't that great anyway,' she thought to herself, watching the pebble skip against the water. Other times she would have been amused with actually getting the rock to go so far, but misery was rearing its ugly head once again. It's been two weeks in which Ino was enlightened with the so very _wonderful_ news of miss forehead girl Sakura and Sasuke. She still couldn't absorb the fact that Sakura won, and after years of their rivalry it has all come down to this. Hot tears burned, streaming out of her eyes; Ino grunted mentally scolding herself for her foolishness.

"Who cares! Sasuke wasn't that great of a prize anyway!" Eyes shut, she screamed allowed. She could feel her mentality pressing emotions of anger and guilt into her heart. "Sakura and Sasuke can go and get married for all I care!" She blindly reached for a rock behind her and threw it over her shoulder as she watched the impact of the stone cause water to protrude. Hugging her knees close to her chest she inhaled loudly before a sob escaped her mouth. Her eyes now fastened, she allowed herself to let go and was shocked by how loud her cries echoed in front of her. She sniffed, smearing her tears in her attempt to calm herself down.

Her palm tightened and shook violently; Ino peeked at the sunset ahead of her and grimaced at the thought of being so vulnerable.

"Ino?" A voice was heard behind her as she quickly jumped, turning to see Naruto behind her. She blinked, half surprised and half afraid. Holding onto her chest she proceeded to scold him.

"What the HELL, Naruto! You scared the crap out of me!" She felt her heart pounding under her shirt, shifting to glare angrily at the teenager in front of her. For the moment, she completely forgot about Sasuke and Sakura.

Rather than return the remark with the same tone Naruto only murmured an apology under his breath, his sapphire eyes dull in his gaze. Ino wiped the already drying tears from her face, wondering what in the world would bring him here. Sunset wasn't usually a time to be outside, usually loudmouth Naruto would be rendezvousing at the Ramen place, not that it mattered. Naruto and she were completely different people and seldom saw one another personally.

Ino watched as Naruto set himself next to her, picking up a black stone as he rubbed it in his hands. She couldn't help but ask the obvious at this point, "What are you doing here?" She blinked, wide eyed at seeing Naruto caress a rock.

"There's no where else to go," The boy flung the rock, not bothering to see its destination. "_They're_ eating at the Ramen Café, staying home isn't a very good option." He looked up at her, his eyes exposing grief that only fueled her once numb feeling.

"Oh," She responded, flatly. Surprisingly out of tears, it shocked Ino to see that someone else in Konoha wasn't very pleased with the beautiful couple. "You don't like them either?"

"What is so great about Sasuke anyway?" Naruto turned his attention to the descending sun, watching the colors alter into soft rosy tints. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"N-No." She blinked once more, apparently still stunned by having Naruto sitting next to her.

"I seriously thought I would have a chance with Sakura, since Sasuke didn't look like he was interested, then Sasuke does a 360 on me…traitor." He grunts under his breath, his palms clenching into fists. Oddly enough, Ino found his frustration to be amusing as she let out a laugh at his idiocy.

"What!" He cried out, returning to his noisy self.

"Nothing." She shook her head, a grin peeking onto her lips, "Just…its funny seeing how frustrated you are-"

"Oh, like _you_ should be talking Ino." Naruto snarled, setting his sandals to touch one another. He leaned back, using this position to rock back and forth.

Ino swiftly held her mouth agape, prepared to spew a few choice words at him but after a few seconds of silence closed it shut. She was so ready to tell him how much of a bastard he was, but decided against it. "Really, Naruto you act like a child sometimes." She shook her head, smiling at him. "I can't tell if you're six or sixteen."

"Eh," He only shrugged; his attention reverted back to twilight ahead of the two.

"I miss Sasuke." Ino skimmed her nail through the dirt, sighing in self-pity.

"You never were with Sasuke-"

"Neither were you with Sakura!" Ino barked back feeling anger streaming in her veins. "But I'm not here bursting your bubble." She added, eyes narrowing. She turned back to stare at the sky, beginning to regret Naruto's company. Her eyes traced the line of stars that began to appear in the haze, the once crimson sky morphing into deep indigo. Silence was welcomed for the following few minutes, until Naruto willingly broke the ice.

"I feel like we can still do something about it." He spoke lowly, almost into a whisper. He didn't look at her this time; his stare was fixated onto the sky.

"What?"

"You know, like split them apart. Secretly, I feel like Sasuke's only using Sakura to piss me off." Ino only rolled her eyes at the comment; however she didn't completely throw off his suggestion. Perhaps…maybe…would they be able to pull it off?

"…No! I don't even know why I'm _listening_ to you!"

"Oh common, it doesn't sound so impossible after you think about it for a while."

Naruto scooted himself closer to Ino, his grin widening to greater lengths. "Doesn't it sound a little suspicious that Sasuke would be Sakura's boyfriend out of nowhere, when a few weeks ago he completely ignored her, hmm?" He leans in closer to Ino, completely delighted with his idea.

"Well…yeah it sort of does sound suspicious…"

"Look I want Sakura and you want Sasuke, all we need to do is get them to realize that it is us who truly belong to them. It isn't very hard, so are you in?"

"I don't know…what if they find out?" Ino tapped her chin with the base of her finger, eyes lingering onto Naruto's headband.

"They won't, if they do I'll take the heat for it. Common, please!" In all honesty Ino was akin to the idea of kicking Sakura out of the limelight. She watched Naruto's desperate state, his puppy dog eyes begging for her to be his accomplice. 'They'd never suspect it either, Naruto and I…' She smirks, intoxicated with the thought of being in Sasuke's arms.

"Sure," She agrees, stimulated by his determination.

Inoichi couldn't help but glance once more at the window to the left of him. It bothered him that Ino wasn't home yet, it was eight in the evening and Ino wasn't known for being out at night, until recently. Now Inoichi wasn't dense, he was aware of his daughter's recent depression over the infamous Sasuke, but he certainly believed that young girls shouldn't be so attached to something for so long. At first he thought of it as a phase and was willing to abide by Ino's wishing but lately watching Ino mope in her self destruction was beginning to bother him.

"Inoichi" His wife called from the other room as he cringed, "Don't be so worried over Ino, she can take care of herself." Still, after all these years he was amazed at his wife's psyche.

"Yeah…I know, but." He cut himself off as he could see Ino walking down the road, and she wasn't alone. Lowering his head, he kept himself hidden in his observation of the boy walking his precious daughter home. His eyebrows arched as he noticed Uzumaki Naruto smiling, inches away from Ino as the two stopped in front of the door. Moments later he completely pushes himself off the window sill, pretending to be watching the television when he hears Ino come into the house. He couldn't repel his grin by the time his daughter greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"So how was it?" He smirked, seeing her tilt her head to the side as she raised her eyebrow.

"What dad?"

"The date…?" He watched her facial features turn from neutral to negative one thousand in a second. Her jaw was agape as crimson could be detailed under her eyes.

"What? No! Not a date! Naruto is just my friend!" Flustered as she was, she couldn't believe her father was actually thinking that she and Naruto were together. Yeah, right…

"Oh, sure."' Inoichi grinned, waving his hand in nonchalant manner as he proceeded to watch what was on TV, finally relieved to know that his daughter finally found someone good for once.

Well that's it, reviews are welcome and I would really appreciate constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto.

A/n: About the edits on the first chapter, Inoshin is fanon, so I kept the name the same. But I edited the closer part in the first chapter! Thanks all those who reviewed!

Ino watched as Naruto placed his Ramen cup down, literally disgusted at him. In all honesty, how many cups of Ramen could someone eat? She wasn't fond of it to say the least; one cup alone is enough for her to gag. Watching someone like Naruto inhale four cups of ramen and continue to ask for more, she couldn't believe he was this hungry!

"Want some?" He pulled a few noodles with his chop sticks and offers her some. Ino only scrunched up her mouth as she declined his offer.

Their plan to stop the couple hasn't been going in the right direction, two days ago when they did decide on working together Ino had high hopes of black mail, rumors and the whole nine yards. So far, what has become of the plan was Naruto eating Ramen while she waited to see if Sakura and Sasuke show up. Not a very good strategy, two days later and no sign of the love birds.

Ino was becoming incredibly bored with staring at Naruto and his ramen, what she has come to notice however, was all the whispers and looks she'd receive ever since she began to 'hang out' with him. "What are they talking about us?" Ino sunk into her chair, partly covering her mouth as she whispered at the hungry teenager.

"You'll get use to it." In that statement Ino did not see the cheerful happy-go-lucky boy in which she grew accustomed to, what she was a hint of depression in his tone as well as in his features. As soon as he answered her inquiry however, it was replaced with the usual. Yet it stuck with Ino, how incredibly easy it was for Naruto to change attitudes like that. In a way, Ino wanted a more in depth answer but decided to ask at a better time.

In her deep thought Ino was cut off by Sakura's lively voice ringing in her ear, her head rose turning to the entrance to see Sakura latching onto Sasuke's arm as the two decide to sit across the room from them. Ino then suddenly tugs at Naruto's shirt indicated to him that the two have now arrived.

The next hour wasn't the best hour for Ino, to say the least. At first, it was troubling to try to control her anger, she wanted nothing more than to run across the room and latch onto Sakura's hair in order to bang it on the glass table. Watching Sasuke and Sakura brought back memories of childhood and the many challenges Sakura and she would churn out towards one another, all for Uchiha Sasuke. Ino wouldn't deny that Sasuke was amazing, but seeing him in this state with Sakura…it almost felt like he wasn't anything special.

Almost

Her moment of observation was cut off by the sound of grunts and growls inches from her. She turned to see Naruto digging his fingers into the chair he was sitting on, so much he was beginning to peel the paint off with his finger nails. Seeing Naruto completely envious caused her to scowl. What the hell did Naruto see in Sakura anyway? Sure, anyone could pull the determination persona out of their ass but she guessed that Naruto had enough persistence to feed the entire village of Konoha. It was sick how he was so hooked on Sakura when there really was nothing interesting about her.

Naruto didn't speak a word instead he latched onto her hand, squeezing her fingers as he hopped out of the chair. Ino widened her eyes, the voice evidently sucked out of her as she allowed herself to be pulled by the teenager. Her gaze darted from the couple back to Naruto's spiky blond locks. She could feel the beat quicken in her chest, feeling ugly humility splash against her abdomen. "Naruto stop!" She forced herself to whisper harshly, the heels of her shoes leaning against the ground for friction. Impatient with his actions she began to haul him out of the café before they could be seen. Ino cursed under her breath, wondering how in the world Naruto had the audacity to confront _them _right there and then. Once she heard the glass door swing behind them she pushed him back, angered by his stupidity. "Why'd you do that? They would have seen us!"

"Exactly!"

"No, not exactly! If you're going to pull stupid shit like that, then let's just call it off-"

"But why…?"

"…" Ino squinted her eyes; she clasped her fist with her right palm and proceeded to calm herself down before she'd end up with a dead accomplice. "If they would have seen us, eventually they would know what was up." Ino spoke through gritted teeth, careful not to raise her voice even higher. "Tell me, what the hell are we going to do anyway? We haven't done anything progressive if you ask me!"

"Hey, hey," Naruto smiled sweetly at Ino, placing his hands on her shoulders. His eyes creased as he tilted his head to the side, "No need to worry, I have a plan." He reassured her, pinching her shoulders. Ino sensed her anger slipping from her fingers as she found Naruto beaming innocently at her. Something odd fluttered in her stomach amid adrenalin and anxiety, she could feel her blood rise as she turned away from his gaze. The feeling slithered for a few seconds before fading away and in her rational thought, she slightly enjoyed it. Quickly reminding herself who this person exactly was, Uzumaki Naruto and not Uchiha Sasuke, Ino instantly returned back to herself,

"Don't touch me, Naruto." She spat, although he could sense her ridicule by her tone. Gently prying the tall boy's hands off of her she stated, "So, what is this 'plan' that you have?"

"Ah, I sort of want to surprise you with it." The boy winked, stepping a few feet passed her. No longer aggravated, he rested his palms on the back of his head as he interlocked his fingers. Grinning, he continued to walk knowing that Ino had no choice but to ask.

"Surprise me? Really, what are you going to do?"

"Nothing…or maybe …" He rubbed his chin in a questioning manner hearing Ino's sandals jog closer to him.

"Naruto stop! I thought WE were suppose to do something."

"Oh we are! That's where we're going."

"Excuse me?"

"…What? You wanted us to do something, so we are!" He grinned, leering in Ino's direction. There were mischievous intentions in his answer; Ino didn't know whether to trust him. "We're almost there anyway-"

"Where!"

"Sasuke's house." Ino paused dead in her tracks, her jaw practically hitting the dirt road. The entire idea had "Bad" labeled all over it; going to Sasuke's house was not only a bad idea, but what if he walked in? Then again…being in the famous Sasuke's house…where he lived and slept, her knees buckled at the thought of her crush sleeping innocently in his futon. She imagined the teenager embracing a teddy bear, the moonlight shining on his precious-

"INO! Wake up!" Naruto cried out, shattering her cherished day dream. Ino frowned, feeling seclusion initiating its repulsive stabs at her heart. She tried her best to swallow it, tasting blood. But it wasn't blood, she's checked before, it never was blood. "Look we're here." He kicked the wooden door open, Ino finding herself scratching her head at how easy it was to access his house.

"What the…"

"I thought so to, but then again Sasuke doesn't really have many things to value." Naruto hopped inside the house, Ino tip toeing slowly behind. The house was rather…small to say the least. All Sasuke had to offer was a bed and a kitchen/living room, although that didn't surprise Ino that much. His bed was made with a single pillow but he had a few sandals and socks scattered aimlessly on the floor. Naruto greedily flung the refrigerator door open, looking for some orange juice, his knees bent to peek inside.

"Idiot, what are you doing? Don't mess with his stuff!" Ino grabbed the orange juice from Naruto's hand, shaking a fist at him. They managed to keep the lights off but Sasuke's windows didn't have shades to cover the sunlight.

"Common, I bet Sasuke drinks out of that…" Naruto teased, baring his teeth at the girl. "I know you want to drink it."

Ino blushed as she unwittingly glanced back at the already opened carton. "N-no."

"Okay then!" He snatched the container, shoving it back into the ice box. He ensued towards Sasuke's bed, spotting a photograph laying on the small desk. Half expecting it to be a petty couple picture of Sasuke and Sakura he was quick to shove it into focus. When he did realize what picture it was though, he sank until his rear met the mattress. His mouth was faintly ajar; he grazed his thumb at the image of him and Sasuke a few months past. Amazingly, Sakura was out of the picture. Naruto grinned as he could see the mirror image of himself gracefully returning a peace sign back to the viewer. His arm was over Sasuke's shoulder as his friend only held a grin of confidence, because Sasuke rarely smiled. Almost stunned enough to sob, "Sasuke, you bastard…" He was surprised to know that his rival actually did care for him, as much as he tried to hide it. Suddenly, another photograph slipped from the back of the other's board. This time it fell limply between his feet. Naruto leaned over to look at the crinkled picture of Sasuke and Sakura, sitting by the tree. In this photo, he wasn't so hesitant to show his feelings for her as the kiss on her cheek was plain for the world to see. "Shit! Traitor! I knew it!" Naruto sprung to his feet, prepared to trash Sasuke's house.

He caught Ino's back from the corner of his eye, from his cries she jumped quickly turning around before wiping her mouth from the smears of orange juice. "Don't scream! You scared the hell out of me!" Ino cried out in protest, trying her best to hide the orange juice back into the fridge.

"Yeah well…" Naruto grabbed the photograph, thrusting it near Ino's eyes. It didn't take long for Ino to realize why he was so peeved; he could tell that she wasn't so pleased by the grunt that followed but her reaction was less…loud to say the least.

"You know what? Let's trash it, you're right. He'll never know!" Ino grinned evilly, fire flickering in cerulean eyes. She hurled the picture out of view and proceeded to open Sasuke's closet, Naruto a few steps behind.

"Look, I knew I'd find another shoe!" Naruto exclaimed joyfully, tugging at the black sandal until it finally fit. He chuckled in glee, staring at himself in the mirror in his full Sasuke attire. "Now I'm really Sasuke. Sheesh, what is with this guy and blue?"

"You should talk; you wear orange all the time." Ino adjusted her self-made bandana of Sasuke's shirt. She pulled up his pajama pants which were a few sizes too big for her as she rested on his blanket. A few hours of throwing the teenager's clothes every which way was pretty funny but not all she wanted to do was remember Sasuke's scent. "Hmm, you actually do look kind of like him. But Sasuke's way cuter." She laughed, flopping onto the boy's bed.

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto waved her off with a flick of his wrist, returning back to the mirror. "The kid needs better clothes…-"The two automatically stopped in their leisure time, Sasuke's voice could be heard in a distance. Ino scanned the room; the blood began to drain from her face. She turned to stare at Naruto who seemed to be just as oblivious as she was. Her knees began to give in as she jumped out of the bed, pulling off the shirt from her hair and allowing it to settle on the rug. The house was torn apart save for the bathroom that didn't have much to destruct anyway. Ino brought her hand to her face as her stare begged to be saved, Naruto abruptly clutched Ino's wrist as he led her to the closet. He had no other choice, all of what his rational did muster was that Sasuke was ten feet behind and if he didn't hide he was sure a dead guy. He forced it open and ignored Ino's muffled cries as he shoved her inside and forced his way in. Seconds later he pulled the knob close, hearing the door click as his lips brushed against the wooden door. He breathed heavily, the beat of his heart loud and clear in his ears.

"He's right here too! We're so screwed!" Ino whispered, feeling her legs cramp from her position. Not only was she getting Closter phobic, but there wasn't room to breath. She was practically sitting on Naruto as the two stared anxiously at the open crack below their feet for shadows. Before she could speak any further Naruto clasped her mouth with his palm, pulling her away from the door and closer to his chest. She could feel the thumps of his heart which fed into her fear.

"Just wait outside Sakura; I'll be there in a few minutes." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder as he quickly ran into the house for his wallet. He paid no attention to the clothes on the floor as he made his way to the kitchen counter, the late afternoon shade disguising most of the house nevertheless. Once he did get the wallet he turned back to the door, closing it behind him casually before returning back to Sakura.

"I think he's gone." Naruto let go of Ino, exhaling with relief.

"Oh, thank god!" She threw her arms in the air, feeling the gust of danger release from her breaths. "Now can you get off me?"

"I'm not on you, you're on me." He stated plainly, bringing his arms out to show just how squished he was between the ground and Ino.

"…Well I can't move," She shifted, turning her head back to glare at Naruto. The two began attempting to adjust their balance, the idea ended as soon as Ino realized that she was even more uncomfortable than before, this time her legs were entangled with Naruto's and her hand was holding most of her weight, it clutched his shirt as the boy reached desperately for the door knob.

"Did you ever realize that you're heavy?" He flinched, feeling Ino's nails dig into his abdomen, his fingers grazed against the cold metal. With a thrust of his sore arm he was able to seize the door knob, flicking the object to the side and pushing forcefully as he and Ino flew out.

"Holy!-"Ino cried out, hurling her palms in front of her to prevent the ground from breaking her jaw. Unfortunately, Naruto lacked such instinct as his body instantly collided into Ino.

"…Woops…" He chuckled softly, lifting himself off of his friend. He sat over the side, his eyes lingering to witness what was left of the destruction of closet racks. Simply grinning he placed his hand behind his head. "Whoa we got away with it." His remark followed by loud cackles.

Instead of clocking Naruto over the head Ino returned his smile, her face reddening. By the way the street light from the window that was hitting his face, and by the way the clothes fit him well, he looked like Sasuke for a second; a happy-go-lucky Sasuke that caused butterflies to waver in her stomach.

Well that's it! As always, constructive criticism is welcome, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I claim not, therefore you sue not.

A/n: I'm sorry this took a while. I sort of lost focus, but something happened in Christmas that sort of jolted me into inspiration. Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 3:

He couldn't understand how his plans wouldn't progress as he'd initially believed they would go. Impossible, how could every plan fail? _Every _single _damn_ scheme would only bring Mr. and Ms. Perfect closer together. Tearing them apart was becoming more grueling with each passing day.

"Naruto, focus!" Unfortunately, Naruto's become so intrigued in breaking Konoha's favorite couple that his focus was beginning to slip; and it was showing in his training.

"Ugh-"He grunted through gritted teeth, forming a fist as he swung.

Yet, all he could think about was Sasuke. Konoha's former rookie of the year with his arms embracing the girl he truly believed would see him for who he is.

The blonde brought his hands together, attempting to form a seal but was cut off by Sasuke's punches. He cried roughly, gripping his midsection as he slid a few feet back. Cringing, he looked up to see his superior who grinned in his self glee.

"Naruto, what are you doing!" Kakashi-sensei's cries were blurred by the boy's growing anger. Lately, just being close to Sasuke did nothing but piss him off. It was like torture, especially since Team Seven still existed and he had to endure the_ brilliant _love birds each morning; especially in the early hours when Kakashi had some high horse excuse for being late.

"Dope, are you concentrating at all?" Sasuke arched his eyebrow, crossing his arms. Kakashi glanced at his prized students, from his knowledge of the _Icha Icha_ books as well as personal experiences; he had a gist of what was actually occurring between the two rivals. He smiled, knowing that boys will be boys. Naruto was no different then Obito in that sense.

"Aye, that's enough." The sensei raised his partially gloved hand, crinkling his exposed eye. It was amusing, 'if only Sakura was here to watch', but the girl in questioning hadn't shown up for training that morning. He finished with his usual line of departure before his figure was replaced by a cloud of smoke.

As for Naruto, his hate only accumulated. After destroying Sasuke's house that seemed to be his only form of any genuine revenge the past few weeks has been a little eccentric for Naruto; dealing with Ino every which way had its moments but detesting someone who the latter practically worshipped wasn't a good factor in any relationship.

"Oi, idiot." Sasuke retreated from his rival, hands shoved in his pockets as he casually strolled away from him. Naruto suppressed a growl, fighting the urge to bite the guy's head off.

…..

"Naruto!" Ino cried out, allowing the glass door to close from behind her. She squinted her eyes, protecting herself from the sunshine that radiated into her blue pupils. Taking a few steps towards the dirt road she scratched the back of her ear. 'I could have sworn he was here,'

"I did it." A whisper vibrated into Ino's ear, her spinal cord quivering in an odd sensation. Instincts brought her to yank her kunai off of her pocket to throw but once she witnessed the cornflower tinted locks she sighed heavily, wondering why in the hell she even tried.

"Naruto," She shook her head, she couldn't help but beam at him. He seemed to be ever so satisfied with something, and his smile was addicting…in his own little goofy stupid way of course. "Did what?"

"I just…" His grin grew as he flared his teeth, his palms formed fists as he couldn't tolerate maintaining the _secret _any longer. "I kissed her!"

"What!" Ino suddenly found herself crying out, feeling her heart beat slither to the pit of her stomach. The grotesque pang prickled her abdomen, along with her nerves blazing in her fingers. "I mean, how? What did you do?"

"No, it's not like that." The boy reached over his head to scratch the invisible itch, his eyes lingered to the side and away from Ino. Heat arose under his ocean orbs, a hint of shame rearing its head into his subconscious. "I…I sort of used the transf-"

Ino blinked, her eyes widening. "You used the transformation technique! Are you freaking kidding me? So…you turned into Sasuke!" In all honesty, Ino was internally satisfied with that answer. It was as if a great deal of relief was liberated from her shoulders. "And Sakura never knew!"

"Sheesh Ino, you almost sound happy to hear that." Naruto crossed his arms, sneering at her. It puzzled him how each time he would take a step closer to_ their _goal she acted disappointed and when the situation was vise-versa she was overjoyed with her progress. In the words of Shikamaru, women are so troublesome. "And no, she thought I was Sasuke." He blurted out, regretting ever telling her anything.

Ino shuddered at his reproach, feeling slightly guilty. Oddly enough it was beginning to bother her each time she saw how gaga in love he was with Sakura. How gaga in love practically _everyone_ was with Sakura. "Yeah well, aren't you so proud of yourself?" Ino hated getting so emotional, especially around an idiot like Naruto. She shoved him out of her way, closing her eyes as she proceeded to walk as far as her legs would allow it.

"Jeez! First I couldn't even concentrate at training today and now this," He hissed, turning away from Ino. He needed a walk but Ino took the only way, and so he was jammed between Ino and the Yamanaka's flower shop. Feeling defeated, he chose the glass door as he leaned against it to open. With the sound of the bell ringing above his head he stumbled into the small but modest store. He wasn't much of a flower person but in any case was impressed by the exotic flowers. "Che, it wasn't like I actually did the transformation anyway." He grunted, bending low to get a closer look at the Lilly. What started as a small prank turned into a petty argument between he and his comrade, and he hated it when people were angry with him. Especially Ino, at this point she seemed to be the only person who related to him at all.

"Great, now I have to apologize-"

A cough cut off his thinking, the teenager glanced behind him to see Inoichi standing behind the counter. A triumphant look plastered on his face, Ino's father beckoned for the boy to come closer.

"So it seems the young lovers already had their quarrel."

"Um…" Instead of getting a grownup angry with him, Naruto chose to ignore that comment of Inoichi since he really needed advice. "You could say so." Placing his elbow near the counter, he sighed heavily before continuing, "A stupid joke got Ino all riled up-"

"Sunflowers-"

"What?"

"I don't particularly know if they are her favorite, but they seem to suit her don't you think?" He winked at Naruto, hoping to see that the lad would get the point.

"But-No! That's not…I'm not her-!"

"It's on the house, no charge," Inoichi pulled out two matured sunflowers, resting them in Naruto's hand. "Now go, my daughter's pretty stubborn."

"But I'm…" Naruto mentally slapped his forehead. While he watched Inoichi disappear behind the curtains, he figured that Ino's father already had these plans in mind. "I guess I have no choice." He shrugged, seeing that if he made up with the girl she would at least walk around with him for a while. He was desperately lonely.

….

As for the term of a hypocrite, she looked past that word; she didn't particularly declare it wrong…only implied it. Moreover, in a way Sakura deserved this. Plus, it was _his_ entire fault for planting the idea in her head anyway. If anything, he promised to take the blame.

Ino grinned, brushing her rosy bangs away from her head. The transformation technique was easier than she thought it would be all she had to do was find Sasuke. It wasn't easy pretending to be Sakura; she had to endure all the nosy questions of that _thing _which involved Sasuke. Doing it with a straight face wasn't exactly enjoyable. Yet, the idea of meeting with the gorgeous Sasuke was just about sufficient enough for her to give up on dignity. To think, once she found Sasuke…

"Sakura, I have to talk to you." The words spewed in stumbled distortions, and he didn't quite plan it that way, but his mind was still in a clutter at the thought of her. Maybe it was a crush, and maybe what he was doing was wrong. He couldn't help it; love was something that simply would not be denied. And he cursed himself for it; _his_ supposed characteristic was completely thrown off.

"I…" Thought could not form in her head; her hands shook slowly as her palms became damp. Because he just had that affect on her, after all. All he had to do was speak, only speak and it was enough to drive her mad. 'Control yourself Ino, you're still Sakura, remember?' "S-Sure!" She stammered, feeling childish for her lack of maturity. As their fingers laced and a confident grin was lined on Sasuke's face, Ino felt her legs wobble like silly putty. In her state of childishness she allowed to be taken away.

They walked in utter silence, the silence thick and aloof but Ino felt some closure. All that she could muster was how much of bragging rights she was going to receive and how much she was going to smash her ego against Naruto.

Naruto…

Her lips curved into a smile.

Naruto, stupid Naruto who refuses to shut up. She's become so accustomed to his voice that she could hear that loud tone minutes before she went to sleep. His insanity was always amusing, and the fact that he was so stubborn was just so adorable-

Shit, why was she focusing on Naruto on a time like this? Interrupted, she felt a squeeze from Sasuke as they finally stopped.

"I guess…we've reached our destination" In his fleeting look, Naruto reached in his pocket to pull out the flower Inoichi gave him. Although it was intentionally for Ino, he didn't think she would mind. Besides, she would do the same in his shoes, _right? _He did feel somewhat culpable for manipulating Sakura, but it wasn't as if he never did that before! And so, with that justification in mind, he was dead set on knocking Sakura off of her feet. But it was so hard being Sasuke, arrogance he could handle but tranquility was a whole other entity he couldn't comprehend.

"Sasuke, I don't think we should…" Reality struck, and Ino knew it was morally wrong for pretending to be someone she wasn't. The next best thing was coming up with some lame excuse to get out of there without being caught,

"Sakura…you're so beautiful." Naruto rested the golden flower in her hand before lifting her chin with his index finger. Sure it was wrong, but it felt so good to be wrong. Self satisfaction comes first. Even if he wasn't Sasuke, he wanted that message to be clear in her mind, and he didn't want to leave without a kiss. And as if it was an itching rash, Ino's stupid remark bashed into his subconscious.

_"Yeah well, aren't you so proud of yourself?"_

Like a knife in the gut, Naruto couldn't take it anymore. Neither could his chakra, POOF the sound erupted as he knew the end was near.


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: Yeah I'm sort of sorry for leaving it at a cliff hanger (grins)…sort of. By the way, thanks for the response! I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves NaruIno

Inspired Song: Stupid Little Love Song, Fefe Dobson

And now away with the more romantic chapter…hehehe

Chapter 4:

He slapped his forehead, grunting all kinds of curses in the name of Ino. Miss stupid idiotic Ino Yamanaka who caused him to lose focus. He even thought he could get away with it; he had Sakura all to himself but that blonde just _had _to invade his thoughts.

"I uh…" He coughed, scratching the back of his ear as he bit his lip. Sakura had her hand to mouth to suppress a gasp as she continued to stare, agape. The pupils in her emerald tinted orbs contracted. Oh the horror, Naruto could not configure whether the option to run away or whether explaining everything was the right path. His heart plummeted into his stomach, nerves twitching in him like acid. All he could gather was a petty smile of anxiety as he spoke,

"Sorry!" With that said, he fleeted. Out of the town streets, as fast as his feet could scurry, dirt itched its way into his socks but was disregarded. Naruto huffed air in and out of his lungs, trying to catch his breath. His legs bounded, wanted to sprint into the ocean if he could reach that far. He wanted to rewind time and act as if nothing had occurred. 'Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.' His conscious stomped that awful word, making it clear.

Ino blinked. She blinked, she sighed, and she lightly banged her head with the palm of her hand. She lifted an eyebrow and sat down in the middle of the dirt road, in front of the early evening townspeople in Sakura's kimono. Crossing her arms, she made an effort to contemplate over what exactly had happened. What appeared to be Ino pretending to be Sakura in order to get to Sasuke turned out to be Ino…trying to get with Naruto?

A laugh flew out of her mouth, she quickly clutched her mouth as her azure eyes darted to the east and then to the west before uncontrollable giggles erupted from the pit of her stomach. It wasn't any minor sensation that was going on; it was sort of a relief. It was months of unease and jealousy as well as anger that trailed out of her mouth. Bringing herself back up to her feet she patted the dust out of her kimono. Knowing that she couldn't keep her chakra in maintenance any longer she went to the nearest store to conceal herself in the bathroom before transforming back to her usual self.

It was then after that she became aware of the sunflower, instead of tearing apart the damn blossom she stuck it inside her pocket, as a sort of gift to show Naruto who exactly was dominating who.

'Wait,' she paused during her walk back to her flower shop. 'What if…' She tapped her chin, lingering on the thought of what would have happened if things would have hung on. Soon enough the image of her kissing Naruto came to mind, "Ah! No…" I retorted aloud amongst herself. "I, I don't like Naruto! He's…" She grew silent; thinking up lame excuses to push Naruto away was becoming a hassle. Frankly, what was wrong about liking Naruto?

She contemplated over him when she arrived at the flower shop, pushing past the glass store and changing the sign to 'Open'. Settling herself at the front, she thought about it once last time, and what came to mind was the night where she discovered Sakura and Sasuke, when she ran blindly until she fell near the lake. It was the night where she felt as if her world was caving in and the same night where she met Naruto. She always was acquainted with him but she never _knew_ him until that faithful night.

Ino softly rested her hand onto her chest, flinching when she realized just how animated she was when it came to Naruto Uzumaki. The hue in her orbs dimmed as the person whom came to mind was Sakura. Slowly pressing the side of her cheek onto the counter her eyes scanned the shop, wondering if it was the right idea to just close the store and hit the hay sack._ "Oi, Sakura even when you're not present you still succeed in screwing everything up." _It wasn't surprising seeing Naruto being passionate, he was quite an affectionate guy.

With a slight lift she allowed for her forehead to bang against the hard surface. "Face it, you're not Sakura, Bump you're not the beautiful one. Bump Sasuke will never even acknowledge you Bump and the guy you now like is only interested in Sakura." She grimaced, wondering how in the hell she allowed for herself to be entangled in this love triangle. It wasn't as if the obvious could not have been conceded. Sadly, this whole dilemma could have been avoided, if only she had denied his request to help him win Sakura…

"Ino, what are you doing?" Lifting her eyelids, she grumbled from her interruption of self pity. After all, it was satisfying being self destructive, eh? Almost wishing that she conceivably did close the store, she grinded her teeth as she saw Naruto poke at her shoulder.

"What are YOU doing?" She let out a phony laugh, rubbing exhaustion out of her yes. She took the time to return the gesture, jabbing his cheek as she accepted the flush that spread onto her cheeks.

"Oh aren't we the comedienne? Anyway, thanks a lot." He huffed out, pushing her arm out of his face. Naruto sighed, his lips curving meekly. "I almost had Sakura…I was think close," He exampled with his digits, squinting his eyes to exaggerate, "until your words of _wonderful _wisdom came and disrupted me from kissing Sakura." His grin grew, knowing that it pestered Ino whenever her rival was mentioned. It was the entire reason for walking over a mile to see Ino, to tick her off. Watching her fluster, her face reddening when she ensued in scolding him, it was amusing. In fact, she was cute when she became angry, not that she wasn't attractive, but there some appeal in watching her berate about.

"Not today Naruto, I'm not in the mood." A dark shudder quivered down her spinal column, the converting familiarity of guilt oozing.

"Oh, is that so? I made a jackass out of myself and you're not in the mood?" He laughed softly, propping both arms onto the counter. He used his palms as support for his head, his stare mocking Ino's previous attitude. "Oh, I forgot! Here…" He reached from behind to pull out a flower. "Sorry for being…well I don't particularly know what the hell I'm sorry for, but you seem to be pissed at me for some reason, I'm just sorry!"

She tensed at the sight of the sunflower, which astonishingly maintained its state of beauty. Logic told her to take it and pretend as if the flower came out from sheer fondness but pride demanded to be heard.

"I don't want that flower," Ino turned away from Naruto, her fingers clutching into a fist. "You can go and give it to Sakura-"

"Ay, Ino. I really am sorry," Naruto frowned, hoping that she would cut the stubborn nonsense already. He watched as she turned fully away from him, his eyes trailing down to glance at the bright object sticking out of her back pocket

"Hey where did you get that?" He reached over to tuck the sunflower out, examining it intently. "I…" His mind wandered to the hours prior, where he gave Sakura the very same-

"Uh I-." Ino tried to snatch the flower but he pulled out of her reach. "Wait!" She jumped over the counter, trying her best to grab the stupid blossom from Naruto's hand. "Give me that!" Protests unheard, Ino could not snatch the flower while each attempt Naruto only dodged her movements. Fed up, Ino charged at him, grabbing his shoulders as the two lost balance. Naruto cried out in shock, his back landing onto the rug floor with a bang. In the midst of it all flower pots were toppled over, dirt dropping onto the ground. "Jeez, idiot. Give me!"

Watching her only had him entertained for the moment; he lifted the flower above his head, Ino climbing over his torso in order to reach for the damn matured bud. He cackled, teasing her as they fought for her prized possession. She adjusted her body so that her hips were atop his chest, trying her best to grab for the yellow plant.

"Ino, you're not going to get it!" Naruto continued to tease, waving the plant in front of her eyes. Now provoked, Ino dove for it, missing as her body collapse atop Naruto's. He ceased his fits of laughter, taking his time to grasp that Ino was laying on his upper body. He blushed furiously, allowing for the sunflower to slip through his fingers. Ino panted for air, her face staring down at the boy before her. They could only gaze at one another, silence filling the store.

"Don't look at me like that," Ino managed to huff out, narrowing her eyes, "as if I'm Sakura-"

"You're nothing like Sakura." Naruto blurted. Ino's blonde locks tickled his cheek as he reached over to brush Ino's hair out of her eyes. "You're cute when you're angry, Ino."

"Shut up." She reproached darkly, "and get off of me!"

"Ino, you're on top of me." He responded calmly, a smile still gracing his features. "Let me change that, shall we?" Promptly he toppled over her, bracing her wrists over her head. He lifted his head, gazing at Ino. Her face was flushed, moisture glazing over her eyes. Her eyes were half-lidded, yet the pale cerulean did not cease to pierce through him. Instead of following her wishes he decided to torture her a bit, now that he knew exactly what was going on here. "Ah, you smell nice." He chuckled, brushing his nose against her neck as Ino quivered with the warm touch. She growled, trying her best to fight him off. Something swelled in her throat, and she prayed for him to quit.

"NARU-." He took the opportunity to brush his lips against hers, and as shocked as Ino was she allowed for it. He pulled back, trying his best to fight the nerves. He tasted candy, and he wasn't exactly ready to give that up. Ino, in her moment of impatience, lifted her head to meet Naruto in a bruising kiss, wanting to know just exactly what he tasted like. He was taken aback by the sudden action, but instincts took over. He pushed for an opening, and was more than delighted when he was accepted. His tongue explored her mouth and brushed against every inch he could find.

"Ahem…"Inoichi coughed, trying his best to restrain himself. Although he already knew of Ino and Naruto, it didn't exactly mean that he was so accepting to let his daughter go. He could almost laugh at how ridiculous the kids looked in front of him.

"D-I. I-I-I-I, uh…hi Inoichi." Naruto quickly pushed himself off, pushing himself as far from Ino as possible. Rouge tinted under his eyes, he tried his best not faint. Ino only chuckled nervously as she scratched the back of her head.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: You know, somehow I was able to gather all this up. A lot of things happen in this chapter, and I have a feeling a lot of you will be pissed with me but you know what, don't kill me yet!

Warning: A LOT of drama happens this chapter. But then again, it's a love story Hehe.

Chapter 5:

--_Five_--

And just like that, the days passed and the world continued to spin. She walked passed the café, where they had a number of good times and the thought of such struck at her. She grimaced, strolling passed the various stared and ignoring the greetings a few people would offer her. The ground, for the time being, was appealing to her as it provided leniency to the situation. Allowing a sigh to escape her lips she then kicked at the pebbles that stood on the ground.

"Sakura!" A voice shouted from behind, but she carried on with her sulk. "Sakura? Why the long face?" A childhood friend caught up with her pace, turning to glare at her with curious russet eyes. Sakura only shrugged, hoping that her friend would get the hint, but to no avail.

"Man Sakura, how were you able to get Sasuke like that? You're so lucky…" The comment received a glare full of hatred as the slightly younger teenager stepped back a few paces. Sakura squinted her eyes, muttering a few incoherent words as she clutched her fists "Whoa Sakura, what's the matter? Are you guys in a fight?"

Sakura could only stare, debating on whether it was the right time to admit any truth at all to this no name female, or to remain silent and isolated with it. She decided on the latter, and instead of disregarding an old acquaintance, Sakura chose to admit reality. "Not a fight, we're not together anymore." Like that, in a whisper, she closed her eyes and awaited the response of the other Sasuke fanatic.

A gasp followed, causing her brunette bangs to fall in front of her face, "Are you kidding! When! Right now!-"

"Days ago, where have you been?" Almost in monotone, Sakura maintained calm. To think of it, the way her _friend_ reacted to such a break up, it gave her satisfaction in a way.

"…No, Sakura, common. Quit joking around with me, hardy har har. We all know that everyone would love to be in your shoes, besides, I saw you two yesterday. You two looked so adorable together-"

"What?" She snapped, jerking her head to stare into the eyes of her gossiper. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"Oh…Sakura, it's not funny anymore!" The young girl jerked her wrist in a friendly gesture; a smile grew upon her lips. "Yesterday, in the middle of town, everyone saw you two. It was cute…"

Sakura chewed at the inside of her mouth, she questioned the validity of her friend's statement. She hasn't seen Sasuke in days, after he suddenly decided to be friends out of the blue. She refused to come out of her house until this morning, only after her mother forced her to buy groceries for her. What the heck could have happened in the mere days that she hasn't been around Konoha! "Are you sure? You're not making this up?"

"Oh please Sakura, the joke is over. Thanks for giving me false hope." The girl replied, before watching a glint unfold her friend's eyes, causing unsettling shivers to rupture down her spine. She gulped, sinking in the effects of such a scare. As she watched Sakura tread heavily down the street she could only bit her lip. 'M-Maybe…they are o-over.'

--_Four_—

Sasuke's been hearing rumors for a couple of hours. Usually, Sasuke is able to ignore such rubbish, because most of the tall tales hardly ever pertain to him. And if they do, he hated soaking in his own self worth, no matter how much he deserved to. But the past few hours, a few whispers of chitchats have been tickling his ear. Of course, no one ever had enough guts to confront Sasuke on anything, and so he was left to allow his mind to wander.

Anyway, what really ticked him off was the little buzz of Sakura and he. Now, he still cared for Sakura but he knew that she wasn't the girl of his dreams. However, everyone else still cooed and awed over them, and somehow some idiot out there concocted a story of he and Sakura head over heels with each other the night before. Now, all he could remember out of yesterday was that he woke up at dawn, went out to meet Kakashi-sensei for another sparring match and fought Naruto…

_Naruto_…

He wouldn't _dare_…

_Would he?_

After retracing his steps all he could conjunct that Naruto wasn't in his natural mind state to begin with, the boy was focusing on something else. Moreover, it did bother him that Naruto was not very excited about the training the day before since the boy is always giddy in the midst of any battle. Count to think of it, Naruto's been acting slightly more spiteful towards him these past few weeks, he knew it would happen after being with Sakura. But then again, yesterday wouldn't make sense. Unless…

Sasuke gritted his teeth, allowing all the pieces of the puzzle to come together. Still, all he needed was one last shred of proof,

--_Three_—

Naruto rubbed his elbow; he was submerged into counting the amount of cracks on the sidewalk. He was disputing whether to go to Ino's house or to wander in the middle of town, yet his conscious eagerly voted for the first option to his dismay. He knew he was obligated to face the truth sooner or later, but stalling felt like the best alternative for now. What mustered of his imagination consisted of Inoichi cackling as he ran out of the house.

He bit his lip, attempting to block out embarrassment, but he knew his guilty conscious wouldn't let go until he patched everything with Ino. He gasped for air, shoving his hands into his pockets. Really, what drove him to do what he did the night before? Was it some killer instinct, pure curiosity? Of course he was boy, but he couldn't place fault on his own sex that way, even if he wished he could. There was something that drove him to kiss Ino, and something that forced him to enjoy it.

In a selfish way, he hoped that she enjoyed it as well, even if it would cost him their friendship. The question is, was it worthwhile?

"Naruto!" He flinched, turning to meet a pair of turquoise eyes. He was hoping to have Ino run into him accidentally but instead was greeted by Sakura, who looked rather fretful to say the least.

"Hey Sakura-"

"I sort of want to talk to you…" She smiled at him, taking her hand in his. Electricity shot through his veins at her will, he shivered at the thought of being in a position he wanted since forever. He couldn't think straight at this rate.

"Uh…s-sure." He nodded, allowing Sakura to lead in front of him. She dragged him a couple of steps before turning back to say,

"We haven't talked in a while," She panted to catch up to her breath, "I sort of want to tell you that," The link between them disconnected as she finally came to a full stop, "I like you Naruto."

"W-What?" Naruto could only stutter. "What did you just say? I didn't hear you…I think…" He rubbed the inside of his ear, feeling the sensation in his heartbeat jitter.

"I said I like you, Naruto."

"…Do you really mean that?" He was able to collect himself for the first few seconds, his eyes watering from lack of oxygen.

"Yes I do."

--_Two_--

Ino shredded the last daisy, watching the pedals slip onto the table. Repressing a sigh, she scooped them into her hands before throwing them into the air. "Look, yay, a party." She spat with sarcasm, allowing her boredom to tank. With her eyes half open, they shifted to the door to see none other than Uchiha Sasuke walking towards the door.

"Are you kidding me?" She stroked her eyelids, opening them to see Sasuke open the door to come into her flower shop. Feeling her heart flutter she tried her best to keep from blushing. After all she was over Sasuke, right?

Bad habits die hard.

He didn't smile at her, nor did he wave a greeting. He only sauntered to the counter before lightly banging his fist against the hard wood. "Miss Yamanaka," He whispered, lifting his head for his dark eyes to meet her light ones, with those simple words she held down her defenses and melted like putty. All it took was one sentence from Uchiha Sasuke to break her. "I have just one question," He grasped her elbow, yanking her closer to him to fully catch her attention. She acknowledged that he was breathing in a fast measure, settling on the fact that he ran all the way here. He caught her off guard, the sudden action shocking her. "Where were you yesterday?"

Ino gulped, somehow she figured she was caught, of course he wanted to know if she 'converted' herself into Sakura the night before. "What are you talking about?" She knew it would only irritate him, but she had to stall for a few minutes, she had to know his true intentions for all of this.

"I said, where were you yesterday?"

"Why do you care!" She found herself shouting, wondering how someone like Sasuke would actually pay attention to someone as small and insignificant as she.

"Were you with Naruto!" He quickly snapped, his patience running thin. His held a slight squeeze to her arm.

"Does it matter?" She took a grab at his hand, enforcing equal amount of pressure to show him that his intimidation technique wasn't working for her.

He closed his eyes, lessening his grip and returning his composure. "…Ino, I really need to know. He's been acting weird lately and if he was with you then he wouldn't have done what I think he did." To insure his sincerity he flashed a warm smile, content to see that she relaxed as a result.

"Sasuke, he was with me…the whole time." In a wicked way, it gave her pleasure to know that she was being totally honest with him and deceitful all the same.

As he apologized, Ino understood that the phase in which she was obsessed with Sasuke was over, and that her teenage infatuation had finally come to an end. Watching him leave, she settled on her verdict, and sought to see the famous Shinobi that was the main subject of everyone's wonders.

--_One_—

He couldn't call it, it itched at his senses and numbed his nerves, as Sakura admitted this attraction to him, and he found himself holding her hand. It was some sort of gratification, as if he was striving for something like this in _his_ life. And now that he finally reached it…

He brushed back the bangs off of her face, watching as she leaned into his touch, as she slowly brought her face to brush her lips against his. As he kissed her lips a flash of shame wavered through his limbs. It shook him, the touch of her parted lips, and the repercussion of all of this.

And he quickly realized it didn't feel nearly as valuable as it did when he kissed Ino.

He quickly jerked his hands out of her grasp, shoving her chest a few feet away from him. He wheezed as his blonde bangs covered his tearful eyes. "I can't," He whispered, shaking his head side to side.

"Naruto, why not?" Sakura frowned, "You think I'm lying don't you?"

"No, no, it's not that-"

As if by luck, Ino found herself amidst the center of a love triangle. She watched Naruto and Sakura close the gap between them as something in her chest splintered. A couple of ideas rose to mind, and instead of keeping her mouth shut like she was accustomed to, she decided to make her presence known. As if everything came together, her legs marched against their own will closer to the bright tinted glowing idiot that blurred against her damp sight. Reaching her hand out, she dug her fingers into his shoulder, ignoring the shock that flickered through her, and then she shouted the words, "I have a question!"

Words, explanations, clarification, whatever the hell verbs and vocals that conversed in front of her between the two love birds was unheard as Ino blocked out complete clamor in her earshot. She waited until their utterances were over before raising her voice another octave. What mustered out of anger, rage, and anguish merged into the following words, _"Do you feel clever?"_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I was…astonished by the feedback that I got for last chapter. I can't fathom how it turned out, I am so HAPPY you guys feel the same way. That just…it made my birthday! Well, this is the ending. My first ENDING to any story I've ever made. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 6:

_All is lost and love not fair…_

He rubbed at the tear that struggled to run down his cheek, wincing as he felt his skin become irritated from the constant friction. He didn't mean to…

That is, his intentions were not to…

He couldn't help but feel the awful shame leave a bloody gash somewhere in his soul. He did not expect to become so dazed by some other person's emotions, let alone Ino Yamanaka's sentiment. Numb could not describe the way his fingers shook violently, no matter how firmly he held them. The way his heart jittered and lost complete pacing, it was a frightening feeling. A state of mind one would say. But it seemed more like an eternity, standing in a fixed manner; after the curtains were drawn and the credits rolled. Now he was alone, and left to ponder at the insanity of what he claimed to have been love.

Because that is what he thought, no, that is what he knew as audacious passion he felt. The misconception of unrequited love she actually _believed_,

Down right blasphemous

Naruto longed to have wind the clock backwards, to have understood fate in its place and have confessed the moment he had the chance, instead of underlying in silly mind games. She was more than that, worth far more than to mess around with.

And the tears persisted, he didn't expect them. In fact, he was down right shocked to have felt the warm tears fall. Unnoticed until he sensed it hit his palm. Still, he couldn't allow it to end like this. He had to do something, he still had a chance. Even if he fucked everything up and the entire world hated his guts, breaking hearts left and right, he had to make it right.

---

The funny thing is she still had the chance to keep it under wraps. Even her father would forget after a few days, a few weeks tops. No one would ever question her validity, and the whole notion of liking Naruto would disappear. She could forget the whole thing, live the rest of her life without the stress that was hitting her at the moment, get married and not ever recall that this moment ever happened. Pretend that is.

Yet, the reality was that she was actually stuck, sincerely in fond of him and the idea of Sakura having her way twice, it drove her up the wall. In fact, she began to believe it was a curse. A Sakura curse, in which Sakura would live the perfect life and Ino, would be left to admire it. Really, life has played a cruel joke on her and she had but only to marvel at the possibility of it getting worse. Inhaling deeply, she suppressed the urge to sob as she carried on to glaring at her mirror angrily. "It's getting late," She told herself, knowing that in a few minutes one of her parents would knock on the door and ask what was wrong. And they would suppose for the little obstacles, never the tender quandary, because that was the way adults would function. They never expect the worst. Or maybe, in her verge of drama and heart-ache, she had to admit that she was sad.

Sad or still muddled with the whole situation, but then again sad was not an equivalent word, more on the basis of wounded, like an animal. As if there was a tear that has ripped inside of her, and there was but no cure. Eventually, if she tried hard enough, if she squinted, it could even go unnoticed. Maybe, if sufficient effort is applied, the wound will heal. Like all wounds do.

And, like eventually she predicated, she could no longer hold back her despair. Misery spilled down her eyes, blurring its cerulean complexion. Covering her mouth with her elbow she slipped a sob, hoping to have stifled the harsh cries. Maybe it was wrong to meddle in unfamiliar territory, prying into places unseen, emotions unseen. She could not recall time, but she has been locked in the bathroom since the twilight merged into night outside of her window. Now that the stars twinkled, she was surprised that no one offered any interest from the other side of the door. Although Ino told herself to be strong, she found it to be a hard task.

In a way, it angered her that no one cared. On the verge of hate, she allowed the fury to swim in her veins, overlooking her past sense of dignity. Knuckles clasped over the cold doorknob she jerked her fingers to unlock before tugging at the door fiercely. Ignoring the bang that reverberated behind her she stomped out of the bathroom, through the hallway. The lights of her parents bedroom were off, indicating that either they were in the midst of sleeping or not in the house at all. Sucking her teeth, she clenched her fists and ambled her way through several insignificant rooms before ending up outside.

The first thing to whisk past her was the surprisingly comforting cool winds. Blowing her bangs out of place, drying her tears, the wind offered an invaluable commodity. She even smiled, slightly, akin to the idea of being away from others for the moment. The glistening of the moon offered light source while the night shaded the rest of Konoha in front of her eyes.

"Ino." Almost in a whisper, she heard the voice mutter her name. As quick as her mood was beginning to rise it drooped, practically flat lining. She knew who it was without twisting her head to take a look. Instead, because conveniently it has appeared that both of her parents have left to some celebration or they are engaged in this malicious game with God. Turning on her heel, she faced the door ready to stroll back inside and act as if she heard nothing but the hooting of an owl.

His voice called out once more, louder than before, footsteps could be heard treading behind her as she shut her eyes tight, clinching onto the knob. Pushing against the forced that were unwilling to allow her in the house, she took an attempt to restrain her pathetic tears.

"Ino."

"Why do you have to be here?" Ino bit her lip, feeling the recognizable swelling of her throat. The main door creaked open, but before her foot settled on to the flat surface he was able to grab hold of her wrist.

"…Don't leave, please." He pleaded, pressing on her limb, voice cracking. He tried his best to remain calm, as exhausted as he was.

She knew the ending was drawing near, and it now the truth was about to be told, only she did not know if she could cope with what she knew he was about to admit to her. If anything, he at least deserved her attention. However, her stubbornness was unwilling to give.

"I have to tell you something,"

"You don't have to tell me anything, not a thing." She forced a smile, briskly wiping her cheek with her sleeve. Yanking her arm away she proceeded into the building. "I think I've seen more than words can explain,"

"But it's not what you think." He followed her, stumbling over the carpet on his way in. "Ino what you saw back there-"

"You mean you and Sakura?" It stuck at him, the way she proclaimed that, but he chose to look past it.

"You really think I'd do that to you?" He cried out, finally able to get a hold of her once more. He twirled her around; aggravated by the way it seemed that the forces were against him. He just about had enough of chasing after her. In any case, if he was to disappear he'd have it with the validity that every single inch and part of him called out to her. "That's not true," He dared himself to stare into her cerulean tint, drowning himself in the tears that he could depict in her eyes. "Damn it Ino," He shouted, clenched knuckles compressing the veins in his palms. "What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing,"

Naruto felt his nerves twitch, finding it hard to produce the thought of clarity in his intent. Turning away from her, towards the opened front door of her house, he allowed the heel of his shoes to clasp the ground beneath him as his vision wobbled with the moisture gathering above the lids of his eyes.

"Didn't you want that? That _glorious_ arrangement we made? Well, there. Now you have it. I hope you're down right happy with the outcome. I anticipate the two skipping around together, hand in hand like a bunch of school girls. I mean, that is what you wanted, correct? Consider your wish granted!" Her voice ascended, she stomped her foot into the ground, eyes wishing to pierce right through the _gentle_man.

He glared at her, from over his shoulder, "That's not what I want-"

"Then what do you want!" She cried out, waving her fist in the air, letting loose of the frustration she felt.

He fought against the shame, slowly staggering his way towards her. Gazing as she took a step back. Watching her shocked expression he reached his hand to gently get a hold of her palm. He did not drag, did not haul. He gradually stepped closer to her, the scent of her locks clear in his mind, so accustomed to having her around. "I want you," He lowered her arms as he took hold of both hands in order to ensure that she would have his full attention. "That's it, that's all I want." He pressed his temple against hers, feeling her shiver beneath his touch. A smile graced his features. Lightly kissing her lips, he embraced her frame, gently pushing her closer. "Just you."

She assented towards his touch, shuddering when he made contact, shocked at his gratuitous gesture; finding herself leaning into his kiss.

…_But still I see you there._


End file.
